Postbreakage Behavior of Heat Strengthened Laminated Glass under Wind Effects

Results of a full-scale experimental investigation into the postbreakage behavior of heat-strengthened laminated glass subjected to windstorm effects are presented. Two different interlayer constructions are a PVB polymer and a PVB/PET/PVB composite polymer. The two glazing configurations are a conventional dry glazed system and an unconventional system with a silicone anchor bead. Two test criteria are established that relate to effects of a severe windstorm. The first criterion addresses impact from windborne debris; the second defines a wind-load spectrum that represents a severe windstorm of a 4-hr duration. Three principal findings are presented. First, the ability of heat strengthened laminated glass to reject small missile impacts with small probabilities of breaking the inner glass ply is established. Second, heat-strengthened laminated glass with the silicone anchor bead performed significantly better than similar glass in a dry-glazed system. Finally, the heat-strengthened laminated glass with the PVB/PET/PVB composite interlayer performs significantly better than similar glass with PVB interlayer.